Help please: I know just enough to mess things up

My Humax Forum » Freesat HD » FOXSAT HDR

Help please: I know just enough to mess things up

(18 posts)

marshalld

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I've moved from Buckinghamshire to Mid-Wales, bringing my HUMAX FOXSAT HDR with me. I purchased for it a SKY Zone 2 Satellite Dish (AE8075), SKY/Freesat 4 Way Quad LNB for Mk 4 Dishes (Labgear VK4L)and RG6 twin Low Loss Screened Coax cable. I get a 100% reading for both Signal Strength and Quality. The dish is pointing towards the South-East, like my neighbours dish.

During set-up, my HUMAX fails to find the satellite. After seeing advice elsewhere in this forum, I did a factory rest: the HUMAX is now stuck in reset mode, not being able to exit, nor progress because of a lack of satellite connection.

Have I bought compatible kit? What should I do to correct my situation?

| Sat 10 Apr 2021 13:51:34 #1 |
grahamlthompson

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marshalld - 4 mins ago »
I've moved from Buckinghamshire to Mid-Wales, bringing my HUMAX FOXSAT HDR with me. I purchased for it a SKY Zone 2 Satellite Dish (AE8075), SKY/Freesat 4 Way Quad LNB for Mk 4 Dishes (Labgear VK4L)and RG6 twin Low Loss Screened Coax cable. I get a 100% reading for both Signal Strength and Quality. The dish is pointing towards the South-East, like my neighbours dish.
During set-up, my HUMAX fails to find the satellite. After seeing advice elsewhere in this forum, I did a factory rest: the HUMAX is now stuck in reset mode, not being able to exit, nor progress because of a lack of satellite connection.
Have I bought compatible kit? What should I do to correct my situation?

The Kit you have should be fine. However if over 10m you would do better with WF100 cable.

Have you access or can you get hold of a old Sky-HD box (try e-bay).?

The satellites are 22000 Mls above the equator. A tiny aiming error cam miss them by many miles.

How are you measuring 100% signal and quality if you can't get into the menus. ?

Your big mistake was to carry out a factory reset without making sure you had access to the freesat home transponder.

If you can switch the box into non freesat mode there are ways to align the dish manually. Have you tried the exit button and or booting the box without the dish connected. Without the menus you are stuck. Given a old Sky box or a cheap generic fta receiver it can be used to align your dish.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SKY-HD-BOX-SLIMLINE-DIGIBOX-DRX890-500gb-24m-WARRANTY-FREE-DELIVERY/221779002880?_trkparms=ispr%3D1&hash=item33a30f0600:g:3RMAAOSwaWxa1QMF&amdata=enc%3AAQAFAAACcBaobrjLl8XobRIiIML1V4Imu%252Fn%252BzU5L90Z278x5ickkgCVySCgrNFPU8Iu85TabMFeL5ovzHbjp3Rych7hBr1LX4kVgsg4gyLTncu%252BLEw4Dx449IBBFlUpm8daSbBzAlNTjZzilVfNwnfqRnIaqnxBxt%252BGBqW1bOCiI8x9cDLwNwZQzX7kqy34tPJofYIArZBgvLTeud%252BRaBjfwuV%252Fa47bTCr3O6mojNP%252Fs4qPaFy8D4n%252FcqbKdu%252FoqEzYwRW1%252BsGyvZZwm9JDwCqQc0ax24INnxiifzzA%252B%252FrVeF31dSD510bYi5In9aHCH9RxubTu3Vm5pwqYb42M3WFSXudxeHNI7Tn%252FrX6lP2d2kHsV3or8iUEZqQ%252FQ5Q1kb7c4ON2gx7%252Fp0jUN38pVXV3i2DOd6xELm1MA76yEhraJ19jkYTO5MPFUmKkeQyMkIQ5%252Feyl4zamwYu3ksjztgNA3fwMrhGtZJF3zxI6%252BIWGeQGdSq34hXTqz6qbYEOyqTW2e%252B1LDsy3FQN%252F2i0QUsQHNSYNpi6nrfe4GYCsuIHrsHySXoDNW7pZpzkzCHjfX0K2G60nEaFr%252BCy6FRxWwCl63FjISWNm9cHVpWNO1pmR9VdnZeIRMlq64MjTqqlyKRvZMuTIVt8%252F0h573LsH32tq2zewuVdaCR7GDogl%252Fowc4SLZpVk2xp4wq%252FipyXPX3th4SrVTFOsGgVzMHYSBtFSRzwOYr%252Bt8dgSxrpJr%252FCYFaM%252F7LRpjStJfcIRbCvoRVt%252BJ0u2%252FRielKPkOHnufChw4ZamDJE7l%252FpZUAnTLDxO1scZyIyvM7BHRA%252FqmVtk0SwpDwKEo3h9g%253D%253D%7Ccksum%3A22177900288019b70c2f6e1a4b2a829f674e4253cfab%7Campid%3APL_CLK%7Cclp%3A2334524

RG6 is very poor cable. I think you may have wF65 shotgun cable (is the centre core copper). How long are the cables ? WF65 is ok up to about 10M.

Alternatively if you know someone with Sky-HD see if you can borrow the connections and reset the box again. Once setup connect it to your dish but do not do a reset. Once you have access to the menus come back for specific alignment advise.

| Sat 10 Apr 2021 14:10:22 #2 |
marshalld

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Graham, thank you very much. I have some other cable which I will check, I will shorten the length, and I think a friend will be able to help with your idea to reset the HUMAX. I particularly appreciate your swift response.

| Sat 10 Apr 2021 14:26:46 #3 |
grahamlthompson

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marshalld - 8 mins ago »
Graham, thank you very much. I have some other cable which I will check, I will shorten the length, and I think a friend will be able to help with your idea to reset the HUMAX. I particularly appreciate your swift response.

Once you have access to the menus post again and I will tell you how to use manual tune to align the dish. Do you have a smartphone ?

In the meantime use a PC to open

https://www.dishpointer.com/

Enter your postcode. Select 28.2E from the single lnb list Astra 2E, 2F and 2G.

This will open a google earth view if you zoom in and drag the pointer to you dish location it will show you a line to 28.2E. You may be able to see house near you you can use to align the dish. My Neighbours across the road RH gable end is smack on for 28.2E.

You also get the following info. Make a note of these and post the details.

Azimuth (direction) degrees. Elevation degrees. Skew.

Is the dish near your new location ? If so can you download an inclinometer app and a compass app for your phone. If possible can you measure the angle of the lnb arm from the dish to the lnb ? It will be nearly horizontal. ?

As the new dishes lack an elevation scale you can use this to preset the dish elevation for your location.

| Sat 10 Apr 2021 14:50:26 #4 |
grahamlthompson

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Neighbours roof used to align my dish
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1. Neighbours_Roof_align_for_28.2E.jpg (50.8 KB, 0 downloads) 3 years old
| Sat 10 Apr 2021 14:56:53 #5 |
marshalld

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Graham, a friend helped me reset my HUMAX FOXSAT HDR. I have menus again. Their properly set-up satellite dish, enabled me to continue the factory reset. It declared there was no software update available. Refreshed the Welsh TV channels, and I belive my HUMAX FOXSAT HDR is ready to go. I have once again used my MAPLIN's Satellite finder RL-TC-0101 mfr Apr-2010. I 'think' I have competently acquired a decent signal, but my HUMAX FOXSAT HDR doesn't agree with me.

DishPointer reports:
Dish Setup Data
Elevation: 23.5°
Azimuth (true): 141.9°
Azimuth (magn.): 142.9°
LNB Skew [?]: -14.8°

Satellite Data
Name: 28.2E ASTRA 2E | ASTRA 2F | ASTRA 2G
Distance: 39215km
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1. Dishpointer.png (484.5 KB, 2 downloads) 3 years old
| Mon 12 Apr 2021 14:35:40 #6 |
marshalld

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My dish and I are at the same place. I am now using different cable: Triax TX 100 05-2010 CAI 0059B LSF 053M (I used it successfully at my previous property for a distance greater than 10 metres.

| Mon 12 Apr 2021 14:45:37 #7 |
marshalld

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Photo of LNB_Arm_Elevation reload.

| Mon 12 Apr 2021 14:47:47 #8 |
marshalld

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Smaller file photo of LNB_Arm_Elevation.
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1. LNB_Arm_Elevation.jpg (230.4 KB, 1 downloads) 3 years old
| Mon 12 Apr 2021 14:51:21 #9 |
grahamlthompson

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marshalld - 1 hour ago »
My dish and I are at the same place. I am now using different cable: Triax TX 100 05-2010 CAI 0059B LSF 053M (I used it successfully at my previous property for a distance greater than 10 metres.

How high and close are those trees at the point the line crosses ?

Have you got a smart phone ? If so model, operating system and version ?

| Mon 12 Apr 2021 16:16:08 #10 |